Table of contents

PILLERTON HERSEY

Acreage: 1,402.

Population: 1911, 111; 1921, 103; 1931, 92.

The two Pillertons form approximately equal strips,
3 miles in length from north-west to south-east, with
an average width of a mile. The Fosse Way cuts across
the northern part of both parishes, but no trace of
Roman occupation has been recorded. On the boundary between the two the Fosse Way is cut by the road
running south-east from Stratford-on-Avon through
Pillerton Priors, in which village it turns eastwards for
Banbury. At the cross-roads it sends off a branch to the
east to the village of Pillerton Hersey with its church
and manor-house on the left bank of a stream which
presumably served the mill, worth 5s., mentioned in
the Domesday Survey. (fn. 1) The village lies at an altitude
of about 275 ft., some 100 ft. below that of Pillerton
Priors, and was therefore known as Nether, as opposed
to Over, Pillerton. Its immediate neighbourhood is the
most wooded part of the parish. Across the stream, to
the east, was the common, inclosed in 1794, when
Leawell spring was reserved as a watering-place for
cattle, and a field, Brier Furlong, was assigned for the
benefit of 'industrious persons' not in receipt of relief. (fn. 2)

Manor

In 1086 Hugh de Grentemaisnil held the
vill of Pillerton, which Baldwin had held
before the Conquest. It was rated at 10
hides; there was a mill worth 5s. and woodland 1 league
in length and as much in breadth; and attached to it
was a messuage in Warwick paying 4d. rent. (fn. 3) With
other of Hugh's estates it passed to the Earl of Leicester,
who exchanged it to Roger, Earl of Warwick, of whose
son Earl William PILLERTON was held in 1166 as
one knight's fee by Robert, son of William. (fn. 4) This tenant
has been assumed to be the Robert de Pilardington who
founded Pinley priory about the middle of the 12th
century, (fn. 5) but there is no direct evidence for the identification, and although many persons bearing the name
occur in the 13th century, (fn. 6) none of them held the fee.

Towards the end of the 12th century the fee was
held by Gilbert de Wascuil, but when he, in 1193,
betrayed Gisors to King Philip of France, (fn. 7) his English
estates were seized and given by Richard I to Hugh de
Hersy. Waleran, Earl of Warwick, showed that Pillerton was held of him, but at the king's request he granted
it to Hugh, (fn. 8) to whom it was confirmed in 1201 by
King John. (fn. 9) Hugh de Gournay, however, had held it
under Gilbert de Wascuil, and in the summer of 1202
King John gave Hugh de Hersy land in Kineton (fn. 10) in
exchange for Pillerton. On 16 May 1203 the king
announced that 'by judgement of our court' he had
given back to Osbert de Roveray, as his right and inheritance, Pillerton and 'Stok', which Hugh de Gournay
held of the fee of Gilbert de Wascuil. (fn. 11) But three days
later he issued an order for the delivery to Hugh de
Hersy of Pillerton and of Kineton, 'which we gave to
him in exchange for Pillerton; for we wish him to have
both'. (fn. 12) In the following year Hugh was captured by
the King of France (fn. 13) and had to mortgage his lands for
three years to raise his ransom. (fn. 14) Hugh de Gournay
made his peace with King John in 1206, (fn. 15) and received
back Pillerton, in exchange for which Hugh de Hersy
was again given the Kineton estate, on condition that
if he could recover Pillerton by agreement or by plea,
Kineton should revert to the Crown. (fn. 16) He therefore
sued Hugh de Gournay for this knight's fee (fn. 17) and evidently obtained it, as in 1211 Nether Pillerton was
owned by John de Hersy, Hugh's son by his second
wife, who was under age and in ward to Thomas
Basset. (fn. 18) This John held the fee in 1235, (fn. 19) and a John
de Hercy and Isabel his wife (possibly daughter of
Nicholas and Isabel de Norfolk) were dealing with
land in Pillerton in 1262. (fn. 20) John was returned in 1279
as lord of NETHER PILLERTON, which he held of
the Earl of Warwick as one fee. (fn. 21) The male line seems
to have ended with John de Hercy who in 1307, with
Lecia his wife, conveyed the manor of PILLERTON
HERCY to Thomas Wandak and Alice his wife, who
allowed them to hold it during their lives for a render
of 6 quarters of wheat and as much of barley. (fn. 22) Thomas
Wandak in 1320 received a quitclaim of the manor
from Ralph Danvers and Isabel his wife, and Robert de
Hul and Agnes his wife; (fn. 23) this was probably upon the
death of John de Hercy, who was still holding in 1316. (fn. 24)
Thomas Wandak was lord of the
manor in 1332, (fn. 25) and in 1355
John Wandak and Catharine
were dealing with the manor. (fn. 26)
In 1374 Henry de Etyndon
and Catharine his wife conveyed, in her right, the manor
of Pillerton Hercy to Thomas
de Wencote and Alice and her
heirs, subject to a rent of £10
during the lives of Henry and
Catharine. (fn. 27) About this time
John de Thornebury held of
the Earl of Warwick in Pillerton
2 virgates as 1/20; fee; (fn. 28) by 1400,
however, the holding of 'the heir of Sir John de
Thornebury' is called one knight's fee. (fn. 29) This heir was
his son Sir Philip, (fn. 30) shortly after whose death in 1457
Richard Thornbury (apparently nephew of Sir Philip)
and Thomas his son demised the manor for a term of
years to Hugh Dally. (fn. 31) As late as 1487 John Peyto
was holding a messuage and 1½ virgates in Pillerton
Hersey of Thomas Thornbury. (fn. 32) In 1542 William
Hody, who was greatnephew and heir of John
Thornbury, (fn. 33) with John Mawdsley, sold the manor
to William Whorwood, Attorney General. (fn. 34) The
latter married first Cassandra, daughter of Sir Edward
Gray, and had a daughter Anne; he afterwards married
Margaret, daughter of Sir Richard Broke, who survived him when he died in 1554, and by her had
a daughter Margaret. Anne married Sir Ambrose
Dudley and they had a son John, who lived only one
month. (fn. 35) Sir Ambrose survived his wife and held for
life the moiety of the manor, but, he being attainted,
his interest in it was granted in 1555 to William Rice. (fn. 36)
It subsequently reverted to Thomas Whorwood, son
of Edward, son of John, elder brother of William, (fn. 37) and
he, with Margaret Sheldon (widow of William Whorwood) (fn. 38) and Thomas Throckmorton and Margaret his
wife (the other daughter of William) (fn. 39) in 1580 conveyed the manor, (fn. 40) apparently for settlement on Thomas
and Margaret Throckmorton, as they held a court of
the manor in that year (fn. 41) and in 1593 conveyed it to
Thomas Underhill. (fn. 42) His grandson (fn. 43) Thomas in 1637
sold the manor to Thomas and Rowley Ward, (fn. 44) with
whose descendants it remained until 1770, when
Charles and Rowley Ward sold it to William Sabin. (fn. 45)
He bequeathed it in 1788 to his sister Ann Harbidge
for life, with remainder to her son Thomas Harbidge. (fn. 46)
The latter died in 1804, and his nephew and namesake,
after several mortgages, disposed of the manor, (fn. 47) which
was acquired in or before 1823 by Charles Mills of
Barford, (fn. 48) who was succeeded in 1826 by the Rev.
Francis Mills. In this family it has descended, Miss
Phoebe Mills being lady of the manor in 1937. (fn. 49)

Thornbury. Party fessewise or and argent a lion azure with two bends gules over all.

Ward. Azure a cross paty or.

Mills. Gyrony of six argent and azure a millrind sable.

Church

The parish church of ST. MARY stands
on rising ground to the north of the small
village. It consists of a chancel, with a
north small modern vestry, nave, north and south aisles,
and a west tower. The chancel leans to the south of the
axial line of the nave.

The chancel is of mid-13th-century date and one of
the best local examples of its period. The nave was
probably of the same date, and the lower part of the
tower was perhaps added a little later in the same century. The tower was altered and heightened in the
15th century. The south aisle, shorter than the nave,
was added probably c. 1400, but the south arcade of the
nave, as well as the north arcade and aisle, dates from
1875, when much alteration and restoration was done.

The chancel (about 28½ ft. by 16 ft.) has an east
window of three lancets below a main two-centred arch
with a quatrefoiled circle which has rosette cusp-points.
The lancets are of two chamfered orders outside. The
heads internally are moulded with rounds and hollows
to the outer order, and have hood-moulds with foliage
stops. They are carried on round shafts—those in front
of the mullions being detached—with moulded bases
and foliated capitals.

In the north wall are three lancets of two chamfered
orders outside and wide splays inside with filleted edgerolls and external moulded hoods. In the south wall are
two similar lancets, and west of them an elaborately
moulded doorway of two orders, the inner with moulded
capitals and perished bases. It has an external hood-mould and moulded rear-arch. Close west of the doorway is a rectangular low-side window with moulded
jambs; the mouldings form a pointed head outside,
but it was never pierced.

Below the north-east lancet is a double locker with
trefoiled heads, and west of it a modern doorway to the
vestry. Below the south-east lancet is a double piscina
with moulded jambs of two rolls; each half has a pair
of pointed heads with no middle support. The central
shaft between the two pairs has a moulded capital with
serrated ornament. The basin and drain in the east
half is formed in the moulded capital—similarly enriched—of a wall-shaft which has a broken moulded
base.

The walls are of grey lias random rubble roughly
squared, and have plinths of two chamfered courses
below a roll-moulded string-course. There are also
moulded string-courses below the sills of the windows
both inside and out, interrupted only by the priest's
doorway in the south wall. At the east angles are pairs
of original square buttresses with edge-rolls at the
angles. The window dressings and the buttresses are
of yellow ashlar. The coped parapets are plain.

The roof, of the late 16th century, is of three bays
with trusses of a crude hammer-beam type. The
hammer-beams have square turned ends and carry tall
curved struts that support the collar-beams. Centrally
below the collar-beams are carved pendants. The
upper of the two purlins on either side have curved
wind-braces. The roof is tiled.

The 13th-century pointed chancel arch is of two
hollow-chamfered orders with medium small voussoirs
and a modern hood-mould towards the nave. The
responds lean outwards, through some subsequent
settlement, and have triplets of shafts (the middle
filleted) with restored moulded capitals and bases.
Above it is a lancet light from the chancel into the
nave-roof.

The nave (about 36 ft. by 18 ft.) has a modern north
arcade of three 12-ft. bays with quatrefoil pillars. The
south arcade, also modern, is of two 13-ft. bays with
octagonal pillars.

The ridge of the tiled roof, externally, is level with
that of the chancel, but internally is seen a late-15thcentury low-pitched roof. This is divided into three
bays by moulded tie-beams (not cambered) supported
by wall-posts and curved brackets at the ends, carried
on stone corbels. The bays are divided into two by
intermediate moulded beams, and there are moulded
purlins and a ridge-pole, forming eight compartments
in each bay, with conventionally carved bosses at the
intersections. Each compartment is again sub-divided
into four panels by moulded ribs, also with carved
bosses, mainly conventional, but in the west bay are a
human mask, a beast, and an eagle.

Plan of Pillerton Hersey Church

The north aisle (14¼ ft. wide) is lighted by an east
window of three lights with internal shafts to the jambs
and mullions, and by lancets in the north and west walls.

The south aisle (29½ ft. by 13½ ft.) has an east window of three trefoiled lights with vertical tracery in a
pointed head with an external hood-mould. The jambs
with moulded angles to the splays are of the 15th century; the remainder is modern. North of it, inside, is a
15th-century moulded image-niche with a cinquefoiled
ogee-head. The west window and that in the eastern
of the two bays of the south wall are similar but entirely
modern. In the western south bay is the 15th-century
pointed south doorway, of two double-ogee orders with
a hood-mould. The walls are of grey squared rough
ashlar and have moulded plinths. At the angles are pairs
of square buttresses of much restored ashlar. On the
intermediate buttress that divides the south wall into
two bays is scratched a sundial. The tops of the walls
and the plain parapets are modern, as is also the flat roof.

The west tower (9 ft. square) is of three stages,
marked by plain string-courses, and has a 15th-century
moulded plinth and restored embattled parapet with
angle pinnacles. At the west angles of the lowest stage
are diagonal buttresses, and at the south-east is a square
projecting stair-turret reaching to half-way up the
second stage. The lowest stage is of roughly squared
grey stones, the buttresses being of ashlar. The two
upper stages are of roughly squared brown Hornton
stone with ashlar angle-dressings.

The two-centred archway to the nave is of two
chamfered orders, the inner with very simple capitals,
square at the top and chamfered below, perhaps of the
13th century. The pointed west doorway is modern;
above it is a 15th-century window of two trefoiled lights
and vertical tracery in a two-centred head with a hood-mould, all of brown stone. The second stage has in the
south wall a small lancet window with a hood-mould.
Above it is a modern clock dial. The bell-chamber
windows are similar to the west window.

The font and pulpit are modern. In the chancel are
two late-17th-century high-backed chairs with carved
rails and turned legs. Two rings in staples fixed in the
north and south walls of the chancel may have served
for a Lenten veil. In the vestry window is some reset
ancient glass with the words 'thinke and thanke God,
1514'.

In the tower is a late-17th-century chest with ironwork and two stools of the same period. The monuments are of the 18th century and later. A table tomb
in the churchyard is that of John Reeve, 9 February
1698–9, and Ann his wife, 26 November 1687.

There are three bells: the treble of 1668 and the
second 1672, both by Henry Bagley; the tenor, of
1602, is by Newcombe of Leicester. (fn. 50)

The communion plate includes a cup and paten with
the arms of Horsman and date 1725. (fn. 51)

The registers begin in 1539 and include marriages and
burials for Pillerton Priors, for which parish a separate
register of baptisms begins in 1604.

Advowson

Late in the 12th century Hugh de
Hercy, with the assent of his wife
Maud and his nephew and heir apparent Malveisin, (fn. 52) granted the advowson of Pillerton
to the priory of St. Neots (Hunts.); but in 1211 Thomas
Basset, as guardian of Hugh's son John, challenged the
right of the monks. They produced Hugh's charter
granting to them the church of St. Mary of Nether
Pillerton with the chapel of the Blessed Mary of Over
Pillerton, but Thomas claimed that this was invalid as
Hugh later married a second wife, by whom he had
this son and heir John, and that when he made it he
only held the estate by livery from King Richard, from
whom Waleran, Earl of Warwick, afterwards recovered it. (fn. 53) Eventually a compromise was reached by
which, during the nonage of John, Thomas and the
prior should make a joint presentation to the rectory
and also, with the assent of the rector, to the vicarage,
the vicar paying 4 marks yearly to the rector. (fn. 54) In 1235,
after he had come of age, John de Hercy conveyed the
advowson to Hugh, Prior of St. Neots. (fn. 55) The grant,
however, seems to have been ineffective, as in 1289 the
patron was John de Hercy, who in that year presented
his son Nicholas; as Nicholas was under age the custody
of the church was committed to Walter de Berton. (fn. 56)
In 1309 John de Hercy conveyed the advowson to
Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, (fn. 57) whose son,
Earl Thomas, gave the advowson in 1334 to the college
of St. Mary at Warwick. (fn. 58) Licence for its appropriation to the college was obtained in 1341, the issues of
the rectory being then assigned to the building of the
tower of the collegiate church, and a yearly payment
of £8 being reserved to the vicar. (fn. 59)

In 1291 the church of Pillerton was valued at
£13 6s. 8d., with a further £5 for the portion of tithes
belonging to the priory of Ware. (fn. 60) This £5 originated
in the grant by Hugh de Grentemaisnil to the abbey
of St. Evroul of two-thirds of the tithes of his demesne
and of the lands of franklins in Over and Nether
Pillerton; (fn. 61) which grant was confirmed by Bishop
Roger of Worcester in 1176 and by Robert, Earl of
Leicester, between 1190 and 1204. (fn. 62) The English
estates of St. Evroul were administered by the Prior of
Ware, (fn. 63) and when the priory was suppressed as an alien
house its possessions were given in 1415 to the newly
founded Carthusian priory of Sheen in Surrey. (fn. 64) At
the time of the Dissolution the Sheen tithes in Nether
Pillerton were leased to the Dean and Chapter of St.
Mary's, Warwick; (fn. 65) and when that college was suppressed they passed to the Crown. (fn. 66)

The rectory and the advowson of the vicarage were
granted in 1549 to Thomas Fyssher, (fn. 67) who, in 1571,
conveyed them to Sir Henry Compton. (fn. 68) They were
sold in 1594 by William, Lord Compton, to Roger
Manners, (fn. 69) from whom they came to his kinsman the
Earl of Rutland, in whose family they remained until
about 1780. (fn. 70) The advowson was acquired before
1810 by John Mills, (fn. 71) and descended with the manor
in that family. In 1925 the livings of Pillerton and
Butlers Marston were joined, presentation being made
alternately by Miss Mills and the Dean and Chapter
of Christ Church, Oxford.

Charity

Poor's Allotment. By an Act for inclosing the common fields in this parish
a piece of ground known as Brier Furlong
containing 8 a. 1 r. 22 p. was awarded to the churchwardens and overseers for the benefit of industrious
poor persons belonging to the parish. A Scheme of the
Charity Commissioners dated 31 May 1933 appoints
trustees and contains provisions for the income to be
applied under various heads for the general benefit of
the poor of the parish. The endowment now consists of
land known as Poor's Lot or Poor's Allotment situate in
the parish containing 9 a. 0 r. 36 p., let at an annual rent.

52. This Malveisin was given 20 marks
for the use of Hugh de Hercy when he was
a prisoner of the King of France in 1204:
Rot. de Lib. (ed. Hardy), 94. Mauvasin de
Hersy is mentioned in connexion with
Notts. and Derby, and Yorks. in 1230:
Pipe R. Soc. n.s. iv, 89, 276.

56. Epis. Reg. Giffard (Worcs. Hist. Soc.),
335. The previous rector was Luke de
Hercy, younger son of Hugh, who by 1284
had become feeble in mind and body
through old age: ibid. 246, 263, 265. He
was already of full age by 1239: Pipe R.
Soc. n.s. iv, 211; cf. Exc. e Rot. Fin. i,
289.